Compartmented trash receptacle

ABSTRACT

A compartmented trash receptacle for segregating different types of trash, such as paper, cans, glass, and so forth. The receptacle has a container with inner partitions which define separate trash compartments for the different trash materials and are adjustable to vary the sizes of the compartments. The receptacle has a cover which may be removed when the receptacle is in use in the home and has a shuttered opening which may be aligned with each trash compartment by rotation of the cover relative to the container to permit emptying of the contents from the different compartments into different trash receivers.

United States Patent v 1 Cypher 1 1 COMPARTMENTED TRASH RECEPTACLE 221 Filed: Jan. 18,1971 211 Appl.No.: 107,132

52 us. c|....'....@ ..220/22.3, 220 1 T, 220/305 [51] Int. Cl ..B65d 11/08, 865d 25/06 [58] Field of Search .....220/1 T, 22, 22.1, 22.2, 22.3, 220/305 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,290,186 1/1919 Held .....220/22 2,903,127 9/1959 Dorman ..220/22 X 3,540,617 11/1970 Iorio ..220/] T FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLlCATIONS 100,985 9/1925 Austria ..l ..220/22 1 1March 13, 1973 892,677 3/1962 Great Britain ..220/22.3

Primary Examiner-Ge0rge E. Lowrance Atz0rneyBoniard 1. Brown [57] ABSTRACT A compartmented trash receptacle for segregating different types of trash, such as paper, cans, glass, and so forth. The receptacle has a container with inner partitions which define separate trash compartments for the different trash materials and are adjustable to vary the sizes of the compartments. The receptacle has a cover which may be removed when the receptacle is in use in the home and has a shuttered opening which may be aligned with each trash compartment by rotation of the cover relative to the container to permit emptying of the contents from the different compartments into different trash receivers.

1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDHARI 3197a y 2 mm M Z w v We r /w ma. M 6

, 1 COMPARTMENTED TRASH RECEPTACLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to trash receptacles and more particularly to a compartmented trash receptacle for containing different types of trash in separate compartments which may be emptied into different trash receivers to aid recycling of the trash materials.

2. Discussion of the Prior Art One facet of the pollution control problem is trash disposal.- At the present time household 'and other trash, such as cans, paper, bottles and the like, is collected periodically and deposited in dumps, land areas to be filled, and so on. The available trash depositories, however, are rapidly being filled by the ever increasing quantities of trash. Accordingly,'it has become necessary to develop other methods of trash disposal.

One of the trash disposal methods which is gaining increased attention involves reuse of the trash materials. This is commonly referred to as recycling the trash materials. Recycling involves processing of each different trash material to a reusable form. This, in turn, necessitates segregation of the various kinds of trash materials such that they can be processed or recycled.

Segregation, of the trash can be accomplished at each source, i.e.,,in the home, mat the recycling facility. Segregation at the recycling facility presents such a monumental task as to render this approach impractical. Segregation at the source-is the ideal solution and is implemented by the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION placed in the compartments.

A cover is provided for the trash container. This cover is normally removed from the container when the latter is in use, i.e., being filled, and placed on the container when it is filled to capacity. The cover has an opening which may be aligned with the different trash compartments to permit the latter to be emptied into different trash receiversor' cans whose contents are collected periodically and transported in segregated fashion to the trash recycling facility. These trash receivers may be conveniently mounted on a dolly for ease of storage and movement to the curb or other collection point. Preferably, the cover opening has a closure or shutter for closing the opening when desired, such as when the trash receptacle is left in a filled condition for any length of time.

BRIEF DESCR'lPTlON or THE DRAWINGS FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the receptacle partition structure; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section taken on line 55 in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OFTI-IE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The illustrated compartmented trash receptacle 10 of the invention has a container 12 with an annular side 'wall 14 and a bottom wall 16. The top of the container is open and bounded by a rim 18.

Within the container 12 is a removable partition structure 20. This partition structure includes a number of partitions 22 which extend radially from the center to the side wall 14 of the container and from the bottom wall 16 to the open top of the container. The inner edges of the partitions 22 are joined by hinge means 24. Partitions 22 define therebetwecn separate trash compartments 26 for receiving the different trash materials referred to earlier. The partitions are pivotally adjustable about the hinge means 24 to vary the sizes of the compartments in accordance with the volumes of the different trash materials being disposed of.

Preferably, means are provided for securing the partitions 22 in different angular positions. The particular securing means shown comprise lugs 28 on the container side wall 14 defining slots for receiving the outer edges of the partitions.

The container 12 has a removable cover 30. This cover has a flanged rim 32 which is adapted to be snapped over the container'rim 18 to rotatably secure the cover to the container. An opening 34 is provided in the cover which may be aligned with each of the trash compartments 26 by rotation of the cover relative to the container. Rotatably attached to the cover is a closure or shutter 38 which may be rotated to close and uncover the opening 34. The closure has a handle 40 to facilitate opening and closing movement of the closure.

In use, the cover 30 is removed from the empty trash container 12 and the latter is placed in a convenient location to receive the trash to bedisposed of. Different types of trash, such as cans, paper, bottles, and miscellaneous trash, are placed in different trash compartments 26. When the container is filled, the cover 30 is placed on the container and rotated to align its opening 34 with the different compartments in succession. Each compartment is emptied through the cover opening into a separate trash receiver or can. These trash receivers may be conveniently mounted on a dolly or the like for ease of storage and movement. Periodically, the segregated contents of the receivers are collected and transported to a processing facility for recycling.

What is claimed as new in support of Letters Patent l. a compartmented trash receptacle for-segregating different types of trash, comprising:

a trash container having an open top,

partition means within said container defining with the latter a number of separate trash compart ments, said partition means including a number of partitions extending radially from the center to the wall of said container, and hinge means joining the inner edges of said partitionsto permit relative an- 7 gular adjustment'of said partitions to vary the size of said compartments, 2

at least one set of lugs projecting inward from the inner wall of said container and having slots for receiving the outer edges of said partitions to retain the partitions in fixed angular relationship,

said lugs being uniformly spaced circumferentially about said container and being greater in number than the number of said partitions to permit rela- 

1. A COMPARTMENTED TRASH RECEPTACLE FOR SEGREGATING DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRASH, COMPRISING: A TRASH CONTAINER HAVING AN OPEN TOP, PARTITION MEANS WITHIN SAID CONTAINER DEFINING WITH THE LATTER A NUMBER OF SEPARATE TRASH COMPARTMENTS, SAID PARTITION MEANS INCLUDING A NUMBER OF PARTITIONS EXTENDING RADIALLY FROM THE CENTER TO THE WALL OF SAID CONTAINER, AND HINGE MEANS JOINING THE INNER EDGES OF SAID PARTITIONS TO PERMIT RELATIVE ANGULAR ADJUSTMENT OF SAID PARTITIONS TO VARY THE SIZE OF SAID COMPARTMENTS, AT LEAST ONE SET OF LUGS PROJECTING INWARD FROM THE INNER WALL OF SAID CONTAINER AND HAVING SLOTS FOR RECEIVING THE OUTER EDGES OF SAID PARTITIONS TO RETAIN THE PARTITIONS IN FIXED ANGULAR RELATIONSHIP, SAID LUGS BEING UNIFORMLY SPACED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ABOUT SAID CONTAINER AND BEING GREATER IN NUMBER THAN THE NUMBER OF SAID PARTITIONS TO PERMIT RELATIVE ANGULAR ADJUSTMENT OF SAID PARTITIONS, A COVER ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON THE TOP OF SAID CONTAINER, AND SAID COVER HAVING AN OPENING ADAPTED TO BE ALIGNED WITH ANY SELECTED TRASH COMPARTMENT BY ROTATION OF SAID COVER RELATIVE TO SAID CONTAINER. 